EU criticizes West Bank home demolitions by Israel

By Anees Barghouti

JERUSALEM (AA) - The EU heads of mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah on Tuesday criticized the recent demolition by the Israeli authorities of Palestinian structures in the occupied West Bank.

"Israel has demolished 866 Palestinian structures in Area C of the occupied West Bank since the beginning of 2016," the two heads of mission said in a joint statement.

"5,704 Palestinians have been affected, of whom 1,221 have been rendered homeless, including 586 children," the statement added.

The EU has called upon the Israeli authorities to halt its policy of demolishing Palestinian homes and property and respect its international obligations as an occupying power.

It has also called for an end to Israel’s longstanding policy of settlement construction and expansion on expropriated Palestinian land in the West Bank.

Israel occupied the West Bank -- including East Jerusalem -- during the 1967 Middle East War. It later annexed the city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the Jewish state in a move never recognized by the international community.

International law views the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "occupied territories" and considers all Jewish settlement-building activity on the land as illegal.